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SHATTERED GLASS - NEW!! Glass Series eNovella (Glass Series #4). Have you wondered what happened to Master Magician Zitora Cowan? Now you can find out!

While trying to teach her adopted daughter, Reema how to work with molten glass, Opal receives a letter from Master Magician Zitora Cowan requesting Opal's immediate help. Zitora resigned from the Sitian Council over two years ago to search for her lost sister and no one has heard from her since. The letter is probably a trick, but Opal refuses to pass up the opportunity to help her mentor who may be in genuine trouble. Good thing Opal isn't that easy to fool and, with her two soldier friends, Nic and Eve providing backup, the three travel to a small town in the Jewelrose Clan with the hope of rescuing the Master Magician without being caught in the same trap.

This story takes place at the end of NIGHT STUDY and overlaps with the first half of DAWN STUDY.
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Araella, an 18 year old friend of my daughter who was recently diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. :( The money will help her with medical and travel expenses as she undergoes extensive chemotherapy.

POISON STUDY Chapter One - Valek Not a short story, but this is the first chapter of POISON STUDY from Valek's POV. You can read it HERE

ASSASSIN STUDY (Study Series # 1.5) is a short story about the trouble Valek is involved in while Yelena is in Sitia. Click here for ASSASSIN STUDY

POWER STUDY (Study Series #3.5) is about Ari and Janco as they deal with a Sandseed Magician and a cocky young soldier. Click here for POWER STUDY

ICE STUDY (Study Series #3.6) This story is a prequel to SHADOW STUDY and has a timeline of Yelena and Valek at the end. Yelena and Valek race to stop Owen Moon from stealing the Ice Moon from the Commander's diamond mine. Click here for ICE STUDY

All three Study Short Stories are now available in audio format and narrated by Gabra Zackman! They are a part of The Poison Study Short Story Audio Collection: Assassin Study, Power Study, Ice Study To download the audio collection, click HERE

WELCOME was another short story sent to my newsletter subscribers first. It's a near-future mystery story with elements of science fiction. Detective Alex Thomas investigates the first school shooting in twenty years. Click here for WELCOME

E-TIME is a near-future science-fiction story about a woman trying to send a message back in time to her younger self. Click here for E-TIME

PROTECT THE CHILDREN is another near-future science fiction story that was published in the Spring 2005 issue of Seton Hill’s Literary Magazine, Eye Contact. Click here for PROTECT THE CHILDREN

STRANGE MAGIC
This anthology will be coming out soon! I've a story in here titled, Paint by Numbers.

THE BEST OF DEFENDING THE FUTURE
The embers of War still glow as memories of strange skies over an alien landscape, light-years from home, bring back the sensations of battle; a time when personal sacrifice meant the difference between salvation for all, or total destruction.

Gathered here is a cross-section of stories from the first decade of the award-winning Defending The Future series. Written by the known and up-and-coming in the military science fiction genre, these stories represent the fan-requested highlights from the series.

My short story Godzilla Warfare was one of the tales chosen for this "Best of" anthology! The story is about an is an explosives expert who is sent on a mission to another planet to diffuse an unexploded bomb with enough power to flatten a city.

DIVERGENT THINKINGDivergent Thinking is a collection of a dozen essays written by YA authors about the universe and characters created in the Divergent Trilogy by Veronia Roth. Including:

What Divergent’s factions have in common with one of psychology’s most prominent personality models

The biology of fear: where it comes from and how Tris and the other Dauntless are able to overcome it

Full-page maps locating all five faction headquarters and other series landmarks in today’s Chicago, based on clues from the books

I was thrilled to be able to write an essay with my daughter Jenna, who also enjoyed the books. Our essay is titled, Choices Can Be Made Again, and it's about making big decisions like the one Jenna is facing soon: where to go to university/college and which major to pick. I enjoyed collaborating with her and I learned quite a bit about her thoughts for her future (including the fact her plans don't necessarily match my thoughts for her future!).

HALLOWEEN: MAGIC, MYSTERY AND THE MACABRE
The farther we've gotten from the magic and mystery of the past, the more we've come to love Halloween - the one time each year when the mundane is overturned in favor of the bizarre, the "other side" is closest, and everyone can become anyone (or anything) they wish... and sometimes what they don't. Introducing nineteen original stories from mistresses and masters of the dark celebrate the most fantastic, enchanting, spooky, and supernatural of holidays.

My story is titled, Halloween Men, and it's the creepiest story I've ever written. I sparked on the idea for the world when I was thinking about Halloween and how people wear masks. Then I thought what if there was a society where you had to wear a mask everyday except Halloween. That thought led to this story.

BEST LAID PLANS
NO (BATTLE) PLAN SURVIVES CONTACT WITH THE ENEMY. Winning a war has never been just a cold collection of numbers on a tally sheet. The Faiths always play their part in fifteen new stories exploring when things go wrong. With introduction by: Myke Cole, author of the "Shadow Ops" series. My story is titled, Brand Spanking New and is about a Private's first mission that is far from routine.
Lieutenant Leo from my story Godzilla Warfare in the NO MAN'S LAND anthology returns to escort this brand-spanking new recruit.

BLOODY FABULOUS
This anthology is a collection of stories of fantasy and fashion. (mine is more about a Fashion Photographer than fashion and is titled, Capturing Images). Here's the cover copy: Lace. Leather. Open collars over exquisite collarbones. A single red drop on paper-white cuffs. From the brocade extravagance of the Unseelie courts to the ubiquitous leather of supernatural detectives to the old-fashioned good taste of wealthy vampires -
we are as familiar with fantasy protagonists' attire as we are with their paranormal deed. Tales of tormented designers and well-dressed vampires strut into spotlight in this anthology of fantasy tales focusing on the world of fashion and its intersection with the uncanny.

BRAVE NEW LOVE
This short story anthology has 13 dystopian tales (mine is titled Berserker Eyes). The theme for this anthology was to write a dystopian romance. Two words you don't normally hear together ;> but I had fun with this one. Here's the write up from Amazon: "...This stellar collection of YA dystopian tales explores survival of the fittest in terms of love, passion, and humanity.
When the survival of the human race is at stake, what will it take for the bond between two people to hold strong together?

SPIRITED
This short story anthology has 13 haunted tales of ghosts and other scariness (mine is titled New Girl and isn't very scary I must say - it's more funny - and I picked the title BEFORE that TV show came out ;). Both the e-Book and print editions are out NOW!

The best part of this project - ALL PROCEEDS from the anthology (both print and e-Book) will be donated to National 826, a literacy-based charity! Yep - all the money is going to support literacy.

NO MAN'S LAND
My short story Godzilla Warfare is one of the 14 military science fiction tales in this anthology written by all female authors (get it? No Man's Land ;). I had a blast writing a story for this collection.
My girl is an explosives expert who gets sent on a routine mission that is far from routine. Another fun thing about this book, is all the stories have "patches" to match the story - you know, those patches you sew onto your flight jackets ;>
The one for Godzilla Warfare is below.

MANY GENRES ONE CRAFT
This isn't a short story collection, but it's a collection of articles and essays about writing. My article is titled, Dumping the Info Dump.
The book fosters the writing process in a way that focuses almost exclusively on writing the novel. Using a compilation of instructional articles penned by well-known authors affiliated
with Seton Hill University's acclaimed MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction, the book emphasizes how to write genre novels and commercially appealing fiction. The articles are modeled after actual learning modules that have
successfully taught students in the program how to reach a wider audience for over a decade.

BLACK GATE Magazine Issue #11I also have a very short story in Issue #11 titled, The Wizard's Daily Horoscope and I see that there are still issues available and shipping is cheaper if you order more than one issue :)
It's a story told in the form of horoscopes for three characters - something different!

CORSETS & CLOCKWORK: 13 Steampunk Romances
My short story Under Amber SKies is one of steampunk tales set in this anthology Dark, urban fantasies come to life in the newest collection of Steampunk stories, Corsets & Clockwork. Young heroes and heroines battle evils with the help of supernatural or super-technological powers, each individual story perfectly balancing historical and fantastical elements.
Throw in epic romances that transcend time, and this trendy, engrossing anthology is sure to become another hit for the fast-growing Steampunk genre!

BEWERE THE NIGHT
My short story The Coldest Game is one of tales set in this anthology, which has... Kitsune. Werewolves. Crane wives. Selkies. Every culture has stories of such strange creatures - animals turning into humans, humans shapeshifting into animals. Sometimes seductive, sometimes bloodthirsty, but always unpredictable like nature itself, these beings are manifestations of our secret hearts, our desire to belong to both worlds: one tame and civilized, the other unfettered and full of wild impulse. Here are stories that will make you wish you could howl at the moon until your heart bursts with longing or feel yourself shedding your human body as easily as a snake sheds its skin.
Beware the night...it might not kill you, but it will certainly steal you away!

AFTER HOURS: TALES FROM THE UR-BAR
My short story Sake and Other Spirits is one of 15 tales set in the magical Ur-Bar. The Ur-Bar in Sake and Other Spirits is called a sake-house and is located in Feudal Japan.

The first bar, created by the Sumerians after they were given the gift of beer by the gods, was known as the Ur-Bar. Although it has since been destroyed, its spirit lives on--in each age there is one bar that captures the essence of the original Ur-bar, where drinks are
mixed with magic and served with a side of destiny and intrigue.

RUNNING WITH THE PACK
My short story Mongrel has been published in this book.
Remember the werewolves of classic stories and films, those bloodthirsty monsters that transformed under the full moon, reminding us of the terrible nature that lives within all of us?
Today's werewolves are much more suave - and even sexy - and they've moved from British moors to New York City lofts, shaved, and got jobs.
But as the tales of these writers will show you, they remain no less wild and passionate, and they still tug at the part of our being where a wild animal used to be.
Running With the Pack includes stories from Carrie Vaughn, Laura Anne Gilman, Maria V. Snyder, and C.E. Murphy, and they will convince you that despite their gentrification,
werewolves remain as fascinating and terrifying as ever.

THE STORIES in BETWEEN
My short story Dr. Time has been published in this book. The anthology is a collection of 16 fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories written by authors who have frequented the Between Books store over the years.
I'm a recent devotee of the bookstore and was fortunate to get into this wonderful anthology.

The anthology is part of the celebration of Between Book's 30th anniversary! 30 years for an independent bookstore is amazing!! For more info on this store, click here: Between Books

THE ETERNAL KISS: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire.
There’s an allure to vampire tales that have seduced readers for generations. From Bram Stoker to Stephanie Meyer and beyond, vampire stories are here to stay.
For those fresh-blooded fans of paranormal romance or for those whose hunt and hunger never dies, these stories have what readers want!
This collection of original tales comes from some of the hottest, most popular, and best-selling YA writers,
including: Holly Black (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Tithe), Cassandra Clare (City of Bones), Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires),
Kelley Armstrong (Women of Otherworld), and Maria V. Snyder! They will make everyone a sucker for eternal kisses.

THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF PARANORMAL ROMANCE Fall in love with someone out of this world.If love transcends all boundaries then paranormal romance is its logical conclusion. From the biggest names around, here are 24 tales to take you to another time and place.
Let Alyssa Day, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Cheyenne McCray, Jeaniene Frost, Ilona Andrews, Kelley Armstrong, Maria V. Snyder, Carrie Vaughn, Allyson James Marland and others show you powers beyond your wildest imaginings.
Within these pages mythical beasts, magical creatures of all shapes and sizes, heart-stoppingly handsome ghosts, angels, and mortals with extra-sensitive sensory perception play out the themes of extraordinary desires.